Early in his life Thomas developed a fascination with how things work, both in the concrete and the abstract. While still in junior high he independently developed a system of calculus to solve problems in his analytical geometry class. He later wrote a theoretical physics paper that won recognition from the Iowa Academy of Science and earned him a trip to an international science fair.

During these same years he worked professionally as an electronics technician—a job that required signed parental permission because he was not yet sixteen. One summer he wrote Fortran code for the Army Corps of Engineers. He and his friends also spent their free time working on cars, racing motorcycles through the woods, and building an outlaw-class racing kart—a pastime he survived, he says, only through luck and the grace of God.

See As A Youth.

After high school Thomas built scientific instruments and wrote software for research labs and engineering groups. Those years were pure hands-on apprenticeship: designing, troubleshooting, and writing the code that made complex systems actually work.

See Technician/Programmer.

Thomas became a professional computer architect, microprocessor designer, and applied mathematician. He worked on AMD processor projects during a period of major architectural advancement, as part of the broader team whose work strengthened AMD as a competitor in the x86 market. He later worked with Intellectual Ventures, where several of his inventions aligned with technology directions that would emerge in later years. Throughout this time he continued developing ideas in mathematics, physics, and computing, publishing occasional papers while pursuing graduate study part-time.

See: Degreed Professional, IP List for Laymen, Publications Categorized, Degrees.

Thomas served as project leader for the AMD K5 advanced-numerics effort, contributing to methodologies still familiar at AMD today. He later wrote several business plans and participated in or founded startups in computing, telecommunications, and AI. He also wrote a book on market research for highly innovative products and consulted on the evaluation of high-tech business plans.

See Startups, Books.

Thomas continued the AI experiments he began in graduate school, and in 2009 developed both the technology foundation and the business plan for Reasoning Technology. He maintains a number of research and engineering projects in various stages of maturity. Outside of technology he has spent periods as a blue-water sailor and continues to travel widely. From time to time he publishes essays on whatever subject next captures his attention.

See: Essays, Open-Source Projects, Reasoning Technology .